The Truth About Child Care Providers
A step by step guide to finding the best childcare provider.


By Wes Fessler

The plain and simple truth about childcare providers is this…there is not a single childcare provider who will love your child as much as you do. With this one key point stated, the question then becomes who, aside from you can do the best job of providing the care your children need for the time that they must be separated from you?

For those who have never had an unpleasant experience with a childcare provider and are unconvinced that children in daycare could ever be in any real danger, the facts say otherwise. From leaving children alone at a facility while running errands, to physical abuse and worse, deplorable things can and do happen in daycare settings. How then is it possible to find the most suitable childcare provider and reduce the risk of placing children in a dangerous environment?

As a parent, it is important to approach the task of finding a childcare provider from a standpoint that acknowledges that potential risks do exist to children, but that the appropriate steps will be taken to minimize the possibility of signing up for trouble.

Fools Rush In
It is never convenient to have to look for childcare especially when little time is available to accomplish the task. Sometimes a childcare provider will quit, or for other reasons become unavailable. This can put a family in a desperate situation with little time to resolve the matter and get the children back into care. While it is always better to have more time to prepare, it is crucial that the steps in this article are taken to reduce the possibility of a negative outcome.

Always Do Your Homework
Do research to find the requirements for childcare licensing in your state. You can determine whether a provider is in compliance with licensing regulations and rule out those who are unlicensed by using this information. Think about the specific needs of your family and your children. Can the provider fill those needs?

Find Potential Providers
It can seem like an overwhelming task just coming up with a few names of providers in your local area. Use every resource at your disposal: friends, child care resource and referral centers, programs through work, phone books, online listings, and other resources to discover possibilities. Get as many names of potential providers as you can. Call the providers on your list to determine first whether they are able to accommodate your individual needs (number of children, infants, etc.). Your conversations will reduce the list to a more targeted and more likely group of possibilities. Ask for references, and call to check them, asking for information about the individual or group that will be responsible for watching your children.

Schedule A Visit
Arrange a time to visit the most likely candidates on your list. Yes, it is time consuming and frustrating, but consider it as a job interview, and you’re the one doing the hiring. You need to know what they have to offer to you and your children. While you’re at it, take note of the conditions of the facility or home they will be using for daycare. Is it run down or overcrowded? Are there any visible health hazards or unsanitary conditions? If the visit is during work hours, do the children there appear content and under control? Look, listen, and gain insight into what is really happening on site.

 

 

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